Honduras National Congress

This building shows the historical moment in Honduras, the end of the dictatorship and the beginning of the modernization of the state.

Ana Ramos

The newest style of architecture is often chosen over historic styles for civic and public buildings because it symbolizes change. An example is the seat of government in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where the Honduran architect Mario Valenzuela turned to the International Style for his revolutionary design for the National Congress in 1951. Unfortunately, the removal of a glass wall on the curved section at left, which reflected the older government center adjacent to it, has ruined the building’s composition.